The stitches aren't coming out right on my Janome 6600. They will be fine, then I'll get a long stitch (3-4x length of regular stitch), some more that are fine, then another long one, and so it goes. I have cleaned the bobbin, oiled it, changed the needle, switched bobbins and threads, rethreaded, turned it off for a day, played with the tension. I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions or does it need a trip to the repair shop? It is making a slight ticking sound when I sew too. And naturally I can't find my manual! :(

It could be the bobbin case. Try to take out the bobbin case, may be some lint got stuck in there. Just make sure you don't loose the screws. Put them in a little container, to keep them from rolling on your desk.

Thank you both so much! :) I took apart the bobbin case and found a few more pieces of lint and removed them. It still was a little off so switched the needle and now it's working fine! I generally use red tip needles in it but put in a blue tip when I switched over the weekend since that was what was handy. Any ideas why blue tip versus the red tip would make a difference? I was just doing straight piecing.

When my machine makes a slight ticking noise as it sews, it is usually a needle problem. The needle might look okay but if you look closely or feel the point, it is usually dull or has a burr on it. The click you hear, is the blunt end of the needle trying to pierce the fabric.

I knew they were different sizes but have used them both in the past and not had noises. I can never remember which is which though :) I'll just toss the needle I took off the machine, they're not that expensive and it's not the worth the hassle. I love how everyone is so willing to help on here.